Apple announced that it is evaluating changes to Safari that could free up space on the iPhone Duo’s outer display. In a WebKit blog post outlining new features in Safari 27.1, senior web engineer Jen Simmons said the company is “exploring ways to let websites make better use of the iPhone Duo’s outer display.”
Current layout limits user‑visible area
Multiple reviews of the iPhone Duo have highlighted a specific shortcoming in Safari: the browser’s right‑aligned navigation controls occupy a large portion of the 5.4‑inch outer screen. The result is a narrow content pane that forces web pages to appear cramped. In his review published earlier this week, tech writer Chance Miller described the problem as follows: “the awkwardness of the iPhone’s 5.4‑inch outer display shows up in Safari. The web simply isn’t optimized for this form factor… the right‑aligned controls on iPhone Duo eat into the usable screen real estate in Safari especially.” Miller added that while the inner screen offers a smoother scrolling experience, the outer screen feels “plain bad” because of the side control bar.
Apple’s proposed direction
In the same WebKit post, Simmons acknowledged that, at present, web pages cannot extend behind Safari’s controls on the outer screen. She said Apple wants to give designers and developers the ability to use the full width of the display, such as extending a header background across the entire screen. Simmons cautioned that a simple solution—setting the HTML viewport meta tag to viewport-fit="cover"—could cause content to be obscured on sites that do not correctly account for the control area. Instead, Apple is investigating a “more foolproof” method that would be easier for developers to adopt.
Simmons invited developers to share ideas, stating, “If you have ideas, we’d love to hear them. And stay tuned.” She directed interested parties to the full WebKit post for instructions on submitting feedback.
Community response
Comments on the blog post reflected frustration with the current design. A user identified as “redus” wrote that the solution should come from Apple rather than third‑party developers, noting that both hardware and software constraints contribute to the problem. The commenter suggested that Apple could have kept the regular iPhone layout but widened Safari, and argued that floating controls over content would also be undesirable, especially for interactive sites. The sentiment echoed broader criticism that the outer display design is a “plain miss” compared with other foldable devices.
Apple’s acknowledgement of the issue and its invitation for external input suggest that a software update could be forthcoming, though no timeline was provided. The company’s focus appears to be on delivering a solution that does not rely on developers making extensive adjustments to existing sites, while still allowing more creative use of the outer screen’s width.
For developers interested in influencing the next iteration of Safari on the iPhone Duo, the WebKit blog post remains the primary channel for feedback. Apple has not disclosed specific technical approaches it is evaluating, but the company’s public commitment signals that the cramped layout may be addressed in a future release of Safari.
Mitchell Landsberg is a Senior Technology Correspondent at News Raise. He covers consumer electronics, artificial intelligence, software developments, and digital privacy trends.
